The One With the Jello In It
by ALC Punk
Summary: The Atlantis team introduces Teyla to something that may change her life forever. Jello.


Disclaimer: not mine. Rating: kiddie.  
Fandom: SG: Atlantis genre: gen, friendship length: 1,100+ Set: early early Lantis season one.  
pairing references: Sam Carter/Rodney McKay, Sam Carter/John Sheppard Notes: This was written on the fly, at work, for thekatebeyond, and then edited once I was home. And added. You can all thank karmaaster for the thing that Liz and Shep bet with. 

**_The One With the Jell-O In It_** by ALC Punk!

Mid-afternoon briefings in Atlantis were supposed to be all business. But for some reason, Dr. Elizabeth Weir had decided today would be more of a tea break. It would be a chance for her senior staff to get to know each other better. To exchange meaningless chatter, and possibly bond. Bonding would be nice, since they were all stuck together, here in Pegasus. Her senior staff consisted of Major John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, and Teyla Emmagan. Perhaps Elizabeth was missing the monthly get-togethers with her local poker circle, or maybe it was really just an excuse to introduce the Athosian to something new.

"It's Jell-O." Elizabeth explained, voice patient.

Teyla eyed the lime green substance sitting in front of her, then gave a shrug and half-grinned, "Jell-O." She sounded out the word, head tilting slightly.

"Very nourishing, and tasty," offered Sheppard from his side of the table.

"Yes. Of course it is," was Rodney's sarcastic interruption. "You could feed a whole battalion of jaffa on one batch of Jell-O. I'm sure Colonel Carter has existed on nothing but blue Jell-O for months on end. Probably while she was making all of those wrong calculations about the stargate and bungling the wormhole equations--"

"Rodney," Elizabeth interrupted him. After all, if she didn't, he'd go on for hours about Carter, possibly straying into too much information territory. "You have to admit," not that she could resist poking the bear, "that Carter's calculations did get us to Pegasus."

"Yes. After I double-checked them. And she still had--"

"You know, it's a pity the Colonel couldn't come with us," Major Sheppard mused. He tipped back in his chair, a distant expression in his eyes. "She was a lot nicer than Rodney."

"I don't have to be nice, I just have to be right."

"Well, if you say so, Rodney." Sheppard grinned lazily.

Teyla raised her spoon, a mouthful of Jell-O on it, "You say this is quite good?"

"In a manner of speaking. I prefer watermelon, myself." said Elizabeth with an encouraging smile. After all, if Teyla liked Jell-O, Sheppard would win their bet. It had been a moment of weakness, on Elizabeth's part. While Rodney and Teyla were gathering their Jell-O, he'd suggested that Teyla would like it. She'd objected, and he'd suggested a 'friendly' wager.

"You would," muttered McKay.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and shot him a look.

"Well." Teyla popped the spoon into her mouth. For a moment, her expression was blank, as though she was thinking and processing the explosion of flavor in her mouth. Then she removed the spoon and swallowed. "Well."

"Is that a good 'well' or a bad 'well'?" Sheppard asked, dropping his chair back onto all four legs and peering at her intently.

"An undecided 'well'." replied Teyla, taking another spoonful.

"That's good then."

Elizabeth picked up her teacup and hid a smile behind it, "Are you sure, major?" she asked, tone bland.

"Well, yeah. If it's a bad 'well', we won't be able to sell the Athosians on the idea of making Jell-O a staple in their diet. And then the Jell-O company won't have a foothold in Pegasus." He said, obviously bluffing while he considered whether he could afford to lose.

"Ah. Well, then." Elizabeth met Teyla's amused gaze and stifled a laugh, "I suppose, if the economy's at stake..."

"It is all right." admitted Teyla, "Though, I believe I should try other flavors before I make a final decision."

"Blueberry," suggested Sheppard hopefully, "Everybody loves blueberry."

"You won't find it, Colonel Carter owns every possible permutation of blue--"

"Not all of it. She gave me some. Said it would be a nice reminder," Sheppard said. He was smirking just a little.

"Oh. Hang on, hang on," Rodney stared at him, then looked at Elizabeth. "Dr. Weir, how could you let that hussy get her claws into Major Sheppard? Next, he'll be spouting poetry about the blueness of her eyes, and how they remind him of sapphires in the desert."

"I'm sure I can avoid the pitfalls of poetry," Sheppard told him, tone lazy. "But you have to admit, she does have nice--"

"Legs." Elizabeth suggested, one eyebrow raised. Which was true. Not that Elizabeth routinely noticed these sorts of things, but Sam Carter was tall and leggy. And she wasn't sure what the major would actually have said.

"Well, I was going to say eyes, but now that you mention it..." Sheppard gave her a speculative look.

McKay snorted. "Oh, that's right. Reduce a woman to the sum of her parts, instead of letting her be a whole person, worthy of respect. Next, you'll start talking about her breasts, and how--"

"Rodney," Teyla interrupted him, gently but firmly. "Would you be so kind as to pass me the sugar?"

"Oh, yes. Because, obviously, with my brain, I should be doing menial tasks like bussing sugar dispensers."

"Rodney."

"Look, Elizabeth, I have better things to do with my time than listen to you degenerates discuss women. And drink tea. There's valuable scientific research I could be conducting." He stood and glared at them all, "And Dr. Zelenka is probably ruining my lab, anyway."

He was gone before Elizabeth could do more than raise her eyebrows. She exchanged a rueful look with Sheppard. "I think--"

"Yeah, I'll go talk to him." Sheppard stood and grabbed his coffee,

"Thank you, John."

He smiled at her, then left to follow McKay into the corridors of Atlantis.

"Well."

Elizabeth chuckled and set her mug down, "This is going to take getting used to."

"It shall." Teyla smiled and held up her empty bowl, "And possibly, more Jell-O."

"Oh, really?" Elizabeth pulled a disappointed face and sighed. "And here I was hoping to win that bet."

Teyla's eyebrows went up, "You... bet Major Sheppard that I wouldn't like Jell-O?"

"Yes." After all, the truth was better than a lie.

"Hrm." A slightly smug expression curved across Teyla's lips, "And what were the payment terms of the wager?"

"Either way, one of us has to wear a kilt when we're off-duty, for a week." Elizabeth made a face. She just didn't have the right legs for a kilt. Now, Sheppard didn't either, but he'd look damned amusing in one.

"Kilt?"

"Yeah, sort of, a knee-length, tribal skirt, with a pattern on it."

Teyla tilted her head down, seeming to consider, and then she grinned. And Elizabeth was willing to bet another week of kilt-duty that it was an evil grin, "Then, I'm afraid I regret to inform you, Dr. Weir, that I don't like Jell-O in the least."

"Yes." Elizabeth grinned back at her, then raised her tea, "This, my dear, is the beginning of a very beautiful friendship."

"I believe so, Elizabeth."

-f-


End file.
